Key for opening sheet-metal cans



(No Model.) I

- 0. s. FELLOWS.

KEY FOR OPENING SHEET METAL CANS.

No. 557,368. Patented Mar. 31 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIN S. FELLOIVS, OF MIDDLETOWVN, NEIV YORK.

K EY FOR OPENING SHEET-METAL CANS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 557,368, dated March31, 1896. Application filed May 10, 1895. Serial N0. 548,827. (Nomodel.)

T0 to whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, OLIN S. FELLOWS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Middletown, in the county of Orange and State of New York,have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Keys for OpeningSheet- Metal Cans, of which the following is a specification sufficientto enable others skilled in the art to which the invention appertains tomake and use the same.

My improvements relate to strip-Winding keys for opening sheet-metalcans by winding a stripping-section from the can around the shank of thekey. In Letters Patent No. 543,001 I show and describe such a key madefrom sheet metal doubled upon itself to form a transverse head having ashank formed of two longitudinal members.

My present invention consists, essentially, in a sheet-metal key for thepurpose designated, in which the shank of the key comprises longitudinallayers of metal held together by the folds, as contradistinguished fromthe end-to-end folds of my said prior patent, and as contradistinguishedfrom the rolled shank of my concurrent application, Serial No. 8,828,filed on same day as present application.

The invention also includes certain special features of constructionhereinafter set forth and claimed.

In theacoompanying drawings, Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, illustrate theconstruction of the key in its simplest form. Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive,illustrate the construction of a modified form. Figs. 10 and 11 showanother modification. Figs. 12 to 15, inclusive, illustrate theformation of the key by folding the blank longitudinally and thendoubling it. Fig. 16 shows the key as formed with a stripping-tongueintegral therewith.

The blank A is cut or stamped out of sheet metal in any convenient orwell-known manner, the essential feature being the provision ofsufficient metal for the formation of the shank s by folding the metallongitudinally upon itself. Thus in the first five views the wholelength of the blank is folded longitudinally on the dotted lines shownin Fig. 1, and the head or handle it is then formed by folding orbending one extremity over ondary importance.

transversely. The folded key may even in some cases be used without thetransverse head h in the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4, as where the zoneto be stripped from the can is composed of very thin sheet metal, but ordinarily a head or handle h is desirable, although the manner of itsformation is of see- For instance, the head h may be formed by foldingthe blank over transversely, as illustrated in Figs. 6 to 11, similar tothe manner set forth in my concurrent application hereinbefore referredto.

In Figs. 6 to 9 lugs h h fold over and clasp the longitudinal folds s sof the shank, while in Figs. 10 and 11 the said longitudinalfolds s sare folded over the extensions h of the head h, thereby making a shankvirtually of three thicknesses of metal, as in Fig. 8.

By making the blank of sufficient length it may be doubled upon itselfafter being folded longitudinally, in which case the ends may be bentover laterally in opposite directions, as in Fig. 13, to form a T,thereby affording a purchase for the fingers on both sides of the shanks.

The means provided for attachment to or engagement with the strippingportion of the can may be of any suitable or well-known character, as bythe formation of a notch or eye 6 in the lower end of the shank or bythe formation of a stripping-tongue e from a portion of one of the foldss for insertion under the strip, or in any other appropriate manner.

'What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. A key for opening sheet-metal cans,

formed from a blank of sheet metal, the shank around which the strippingportion of the can is wound to open the can, consisting of longitudinallayers held together by the folds, substantially in the manner and forthe purpose described.

2. A key for opening sheet-metal cans, formed from a blank of sheetmetal, the shank around which the stripping portion of the can is woundto open the can consisting of longitudinal layers held together by thefolds, a part of said shank being bent transversely to form a handle,substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

3. A key for opening sheet-metal cans,

formed from a blank of sheet metal, consistin g of a handle having ashank, around which the stripping portion of the can is wound to openthe can, said shank consisting of thicknesses of the metal folded inwardtransversely upon itself to form longitudinal layers held together bythe folds, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

4. A key for opening sheet-metal cans, formed from a blank of sheetmetal, the shank around which the stripping portion of the can is Woundto open the can consisting of thicknesses of the metal folded inwardtransversely upon itself to form longitudinal layers held together bythe folds, and formed to engage with a stripping'tongue of a can,substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

5. A key for opening sheet-metal cans, formed from a blank of sheetmetal, folded upon itself to form longitudinal layers, and then doubledto form a shank around which the stripping portion of a can may be Woundto open the can, substantially in the manner and for the purposedescribed.

6. A strip-Winding key for opening sheetmetal cans, formed from a blankof sheet metal folded upon itself to form longitudinal layers, anddoubled and shaped to form a shank adapted to engage thestripping-tongue of a can, substantially int-he manner and for thepurpose described.

7. A strip-Winding key for opening sheetmetal cans, formed from a blankof sheet metal folded upon itself to form longitudinal layers, doubledand shaped to form a shank, and having the ends bent over laterally inopposite directions to form a handle, substantially in the manner andfor the purpose described.

OLIN S. FELLOWS.

\Vitnesses:

D. \V. GARDNER, GEORGE TILLIAM MIATT.

